Mother Daughter Book Club Reunite!
by JEK623
Summary: Emma returns from England just before ninth grade and everyone's changed. The Fab Four has risen from the ashes and is now running Alcott High; Cassidy is still the boys' hockey star, but now more of a loner. Jess shocks her most of all- with dark highlights and a lip piercing, now too good for everyone.. All Emma wants to know is: can she and her friends reunite?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: Emma**

I look out the SUV's window nervously.

I haven't spoken to my friends in Concord for the past two years, and the fear that they've forgotten me still lurks like fog, thick in my mind. Watching the scenery slide past my window, I look for any changes. The new shopping center across from the library, in the empty lot where we were once parking and walking in to the library the first time, our mothers giving us dirty looks that threatened us for embarrassing them.

When we pass Alcott High, new nerves settle deep in the pit of my stomach. In less than a week, I'll be a freshman, in a huge school and probably alone.

The interior of the SUV is foreign; black leather padding on all the seats, the engine purring, fresh and new. The radio works perfectly, a few twitches of static here and there, but it's not like the rickety, crackly radio in our old station wagon, always breaking when the air conditioner was on.

My parents, being a freelance writer and a librarian, were working in England when they were called by a local publicist in the area, almost begging to help their 'lit duo" take off. After my father wrote his first novel, my mother took a shot at it, a spinoff on his novel from a different point of view, and all of a sudden, they were flying everywhere, stuffing millions into their pockets as they premiered on talk shows and had live meet-and-greets all over the world.

Darcy and I were lugged on to far locations, a few stops in the US, toward the West Coast, and even a few Austrailian flights. After a few years making it in the business, they were sent back to the United States to take a short break and write new novels.

Glancing over, I look at Darcy, watching him bounce his leg rhythmically as the scenery that was once what we saw everyday, flitted by. Dusk was falling upon us, and the setting sun glowed against his tanned skin.

Slowly, our car purred into Strawberry Hill, toward the new home we had been signed into by the trusty publicist, and we parked at the end of the street, overlooking the flush green trees and flowerbeds done neatly along driveways, exteriors all glass and posh.

When we get out of the car, my mother is immediately embraced by a tall woman with long ebony locks, in a loose, flowy printed top and sleek black slacks, heels donning her feet. It takes me a minute to realize it's Mrs. Wong.

Mr. Wong shakes hands with Darcy and my father, running a hand through his thinning blond hair on his head. It's when I stand on my tiptoes, peering over Mrs. Wong's shoulder, when I see Megan.

She's sitting at the top of the driveway, wearing a light blue shirt that showed a thick expanse of bare skin, a diamond stud poking out of her navel, glinting in the sun. A flaming red hairstreak hangs over her left almond-shaped eye. She was taller, leaner, and her legs were really long, in really short shorts and flip flops.

_What happened to Megs?_

"Who's she again?" She whispers to her mother as Ashley, Jen and Becca follow her down the hot asphalt, wearing similar clothes, all with belly button piercings, holding red cups that I could only assume were filled with beer.

"The Hawthornes, remember?" Mrs. Wong elbows her slightly in the ribs, laughing as if Megan was joking. But she wasn't. The feeling of rejection felt similar to a slap in the face; a stab in the back.

"Ouch," Megan hisses from the blow, moving back toward her friends. She completely ignored me, sparing Darcy a few seductive glances that he smiles slightly at. Her friends gawk at Darcy like he's the last cupcake on the platter.

When our parents dismiss us, we duck around the movers and head up to our separate rooms, each at the end of the long hall that overlooked the grand foyer. When I first open the door with the big, purple E on it, all I see is a set of stairs, sunlight glaring down from the room.

Jogging up the stairs, I find a small room overlooking every point of the estate. It was obviously a recent addition, as it was jutted off the second floor. Opening one of the windows running in a band aroudn the room, I peer out to see the Wong's estate perfectly, then to the thick brush of woods, where I can hear birds singing faintly, watching animals chase each other around the green.

Slowly, I unpack my few suitcases, distributing my things into the room, before flopping back on my king-sized bed. The neon purple duvet swallows me, as I sink into the thick mattress. Closing my eyes, I can only hope that Cassidy and Jess haven't turned out like Megan.

Feet pound up the stairs, and I barely turn my head to see Darcy peek his head in, "Em, you okay?"

"No." I whimpered, feeling the tears fall heavily down my face as I duck my head into the duvet, muffled sobs breaking out of my suddenly dry throat. My neutral makeup felt heavy on my face, and my clothes were wrinkled, swallowing me away.

"What's wrong?" Darcy asks, crossing the room quietly and sitting on the edge of my bed. I feel his hand run gently through my hair. He isn't the best brother in the world-but he's close.

"Megs is gone." I can only muffle. My crisp pillow cases are getting smudged from the watery substance crawling down my cheeks.

"It'll work out, Em. I promise." Darcy says, rubbing my back before standing and leaving.

"I hope." I mutter as he turns, hovering in the doorway, as I curl into a ball.

"I hope so, too, Em." He says, and then I hear the click of the door hitting the lock.

When he's down the stairs and out of earshot, I return to my open window and clamber out. The shingles are hot under my bare legs as I sit back, closing my eyes, letting the sun warm me. Listening carefully, I can hear boppy music coming from the Wong estate, the girls' laughter overpowering it.

Reminiscing when that used to be us, the mother-daughter book club.

I felt the tears coming, and it was at that moment that I choked and I had a really good cry.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Cassidy**

"Mom, are you serious?" I whine to the front seat, where my mother and sister, Courtney are sitting. Normally, my stepfather and baby sister Chloe would be with us, but he was tired after a long day of work at the office, because it's _so tiring _to be an accountant, and Chloe was cranky.

"I have hockey practice in twenty minutes; do I really have to greet the Wongs' stupid new neighbors?!" I plead, running a hand through my short red hair, tugging haphazardously at the ends. Ever since my mother made me get it cut in New York, she's been obsessed with keeping it short and pristine. Just like her blond, celebrity life.

Courtney rolls her eyes at me in the side mirror.

Ever since the Hawthornes' moved to do the family swap program, which turned into a two-year deal after striking it big internationally, I had gotten off the hook of mother-daughter book club meetings. Life was just getting hectic for me, after being accepted into Division 1 and I'd started Chicks with sticks, so I got to focus on what I loved: hockey.

To be fair, I admit that sometimes I miss my mother dragging me off to one of my soon-to-be friends' houses to reflect on a chapter we read, but then I look at what happened to Megan and Jess, and I realized I didn't really want to be involved with them anymore. Not after the salty breakup of our friendship.

"Yes, it's mandatory, Cass," she smiles at me in the rearview mirror, as she turns into the million dollar community of Strawberry Hill, "When Lily, Shannon and I heard that the Hawthornes were returning, we immediately thought of a welcome back party!"

"Mom, I haven't talked to Megan, Jess or Emily for two years; they're all completely different!" I remind her, as I have ever since the fourth of our quartet moved across the globe, and I first came home to my mother, ranting about how much of a bitch Megan Wong was-

"Emma, dear. Her name is Emma," Mom reminds me politely, glancing at me in the rearview mirror with a pained expression, "and she's going to Alcott with you girls this year."

When we pull up to the Hawthorne estate, the first thing we see is Megan, in her trendy- slut decor, strutting across her land, crossing driveways, to Emma's. It's weird seeing Megan without her flock, thoughts fleeting whether or not she's vulnerable without her brainless cohorts. Folded over her arm is a long white dress, lined with small Chinese characters with their English meanings on the bottom.

A tall, teenage boy with long chocolate curls opened the door for her. He was decked out in a neat mint Oxford shirt that highlighted against his tanned skin, and a pair of dark wash jeans. To say simply, he was gorgeous. He was also Darcy Hawthorne.

Darcy treats her with a friendly smile, but I can't see her reaction as we climb out of the minivan. Even after she enters, he still holds the door open for us, leaning against the brick wall, a small smile lit on his face.

Trailing behind my mother and sister, I duck my head as we get up to the long porch, a sudden feeling of excited nervousness tittering in my stomach.

"Hey, Cass." I look up to see his smile, as he holds the door open for me and we head inside. The air-conditioning is ice cold as we step through the threshold to the kitchen, where people are milling around and sipping from neat glass goblets and spooning pure health food into their mouths, laughing and reminiscing. Mrs. Delaney immediately bombards my mother with a huge bearhug, and immediately I smell the barnyard faint on her form.

The first thing I see when I step into the room is Jess.

She's leaning against a cabinet next to the stoves, on the far side of the room, sipping from a red plastic cup and playing with the cuff of her black hoodie. A simple black skirt and patterned tights line her legs, and a pair of Converse don her feet. A small silver ball pokes out of her lip, and she spins it with her tongue. Alone, she stands, occasionally glancing at the clock as if waiting for this party to end.

_I hear you,_ I think as I cross the room to fill a cup. Megan lines up behind me, saying nothing as I quickly fill the cup to the rim and snatch a cucumber off the vegetable plate. My mother meets my eyes across the room and smiles. She's a healthnut and is obsessed with me gaining muscle, not fat.

Just as I step away from the keg, Mr. Hawthorne bombards Megan and I, pressing a hand to each of our shoulders. There's the faint scent of whiskey on his breath, but he is clearly only tipsy. "Will you girls wrangle Jess and go up and get Emma? She's refusing to come down." he asks, breathless, as if he just ran a marathon with one breath.

Neither of us want to approach Jess, so Megan chooses to speak before I can even muster a word, "You go get her. It's not like we have to hang out with her." And with that, she spins on her heel, curling a strand of fire-engine red hair around her finger as she surveys the room. A group of Darcy's old hockey friends pile in, shaking hands and fist bumping. Megan spies her prey, and goes in, leaving me alone.

Slipping through the hefty throngs of people, I cross back into the foyer and climb the grand staircase to the second floor. In the distance, I see a white door at the end of the hall. It's wide open, and in the faint distance I hear wind whistling and the click-clack of what I can only assume is a typewriter.

_Bingo._

Cautiously, I creak up the stairs and into the room. The window is wide open, shining light over the queen sized bed, with its white covers and puffy pillows. The wood paneling in the room makes it darker, but there are windows banding all aroudn the room, letting in the light. Emma is sitting at her desk, eyes fixed on the key as she works.

"Emma?" I ask, knocking on the paneling on the stairs, "Your dad wants you downstairs."

It takes me a moment to hear her sobs.

"Em?"

"What? Oh, yeah, downstairs. Fine." she stutters, tearing the sheet out of her typewriter and cramming it in one of the desk drawers; it sticks out, but she doesn't seem to care. She stands up. In her short, frilly black skirt and striped shirt, she looks like she stepped out of a fashion catalogue, minus the dripping tears and puffy eyes.

"I'll be out in a second." she tells me, and crosses the room to a door which I immediately take note of that's the bathroom. When the door is shut tightly behind her, I carefully open the drawer that stuck out and retrieved the torn paper she'd hidden so briskly. After smoothing a few creases, the words become more readable.

_What am I doing here? _

_The world has moved on without me _

_and I have no sense to be_

_in this twisted dimension. _

_I watch what I used to call friends pile into our drive, _

_obviously not caring to be here. _

_One looks at me like I'm scum, _

_the other spares me a blank look. _

_The third I have yet to se-_

"What are you doing?" Emma asks, a look of betrayal painted on her face.

I open my mouth to speak, but no words come out, so I shut it. Finally, I muster an, "I'm sorry."

She crosses the room in three strides, wrenching the paper away from me. It tears in half, and I let mine fall to the floor; she kicks it under the desk and stuffs the other half into the drawer, her look crisp and angry.

"Let's go." It's more of an order. The footfalls of her sneakers haunt me as we wrangle down two flights of stairs, back to the party, where everyone's waiting for a new Emma to join this foreign dimension.

_A/N: Revised; I own nothing. _


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Megan**

"So, are you excited to make varsity and only be a _freshman_?" I ask Zach Norton as I swallow another gulp of beer, surveying the room of people I used to know so well. Mrs. Hawthorne leans against her husband, bragging about their duo book project to my parents. I can see Eva Bergson chatting with Mrs. Sloane-Kinkaid, reminiscing.

"You know," Zach grins, "I'm glad that once Darcy graduates, I'll be quarterback." he goes on talking about something or other, when I glance across the room at Darcy, who's engrossed in a conversation with Kyle Anderson.

Zach is such a wannabe.

Darcy Hawthorne didn't ask for all the advantages he had; he was not only cute, but a jock and a sweetheart. Spite the fact that he's this way, he's no fool. No bitch could ever get past his gorgeous shell.

All Zach wants is his fifteen minutes of fame.

Cassidy walks into the room, wearing a nervous expression. _Well, you're about to get your fame, Zach, _I think, turning back to him just as he meets my eyes, a surprised smile on his face. Reaching up, I wrap my arms around his neck. The minute Cassidy looks over, my lips are on his.

I can hear her gasp from across the room.

Slowly, heads turn. When we pull apart, the first person I see is my mother. She's breathing dragon breaths through her nose, and I can see the steam blowing out of her ears. Her dark eyes set on me, crinkled brow topping them. She nudges her head toward the next room and her expression says _hallway, now._

Embarrassment flushes over me as I slide through the throngs of shocked people, out into the grand foyer, ducking in front of the grand staircase. Out of the view of other partygoers. Uh-oh.

"What the _hell _did you just do?" My mother asks, her voice quiet but _pissed._

I'm taken aback. My mother barely utters a sentence like that, let alone cusses. Normally, I'd be proud... if this wasn't pointed at _me._

"Mom, I-" I begin, but my voice dies when she continues.

"You kiss a boy in someone else's house, in front of _everyone._ Megan Rose, do you know how embarrassing that is to me- to _us_."

Then, a flash of anger colors my insides and I just want to explode. "How does something _I do _reflect on you? So, what? I kiss someone. It's not like I started getting it on on the dining room table or something-"

"Megan!" my mother interrupts, her eyes sparking with a thicker brush fire, "That is _not _the point and you know it. It's the fact that you do it while a bunch of our _friends _are in the room!"

"_Our friends?"_ I ask, my voice getting louder, "_Those people _are _not _my friends. If I had the choice, I wouldn't have even came!"

And with that, I crank the handle of the front door and storm out into the August sunset, making sure to slam the door on my way out.

The minute I'm on the safety of my own lawn, I pull out my phone and punch a few numbers in and press the phone to my ear. When I get inside and kick my shoes off, Becca answers.

"Hey, how'd the party in hell go?" Becca asks as she shakes a bottle of nail polish.

"Shittastic," I tell her as I pound up to my bedroom and grab a purse and start stuffing it, "Mind if I stay at your place?"

"How're you getting _here_?" her voice sounds incredulous as she shuffles around.

"I'll find a way," I tell her before clicking _end _and stuffing a few other items into my bag. As I pass the back door, I brace myself before opening my parents' liquor cabinet and stealing two bottles of brandy. Stuffing them into my bag, I tuck it back under my arm and duck out into the garage.

My father's shiny cars sit in a line, next to my mother's only hybrid, and search the key hook for the BMW. It's my father's oldest car; he wouldn't even know it was gone.

Calming my nerves, I take a swig of brandy. The cognac is thick on my tongue, but I swallow it whole and click the button on the remote. Engine humming, the headlights flicker.

I can't help but let the smile take over my face as I climb into the car, tossing my purse in the passenger seat and sticking the alcohol in the cupholder. After I got my permit last August, my parents let me borrow cars as long as I stuck close and stayed on private roads.

Well, Becca's isn't that far.

It's only across town.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Jess**

In the midst of the kissing fiasco, I slip out the back door of the Hawthorne estate for a cigarette. I haven't talked to _anyone _at this party, and I'm already stressed. Just the tense aura has me pissed.

Shaking a Marlboro out of the packet, I light up. Leaning against the house, I watch the flaming embers burn the nicotine as I take a small, timid drag. Smoking is for stress, a law I'd taken to since I started up.

"You do know smoking can kill you?" Turning, I find Darcy Hawthorne standing to my left. Stepping out of the shrubs I was once taking seclusion in, I shrug, pressing the tip of the cancer stick to my lips.

He just smiles as me, one that makes me choke on the smoke vibrating my lungs, and I hack a long second. As it once was, the simple curve of his smile, sending a dimple in his cheek, it makes my heart rise, and I feel like I've drunk a fair amount of whiskey rather than a beer; intoxicated on love.

"You want?" I ask, waving it in front of him, letting the embers flicker the layered shades of brown in his eyes. Timidly, he takes it from my fingers and presses his lips around the cig, those perfect lips taking a long drag. Blowing the smoky haze out, it fan my face. Blinking, I find him a lot closer than he was before.

He drops the inflamed butt to the gritty walk, grinding it under his shoe before kicking it aside. Then, he leans down at captures my lips. His mouth is soft and warm, tasting faintly of the cigarette and more of the sweet alcohol he'd drunk earlier.

I feel drunk by the time he pulls away.

My arms had found the way around his neck, and his were gripping my waist. Squeezing the tender skin, he smiles down at me before I stand on my tiptoes and kiss him again.

.

.

By the time we return, the parents had all moved to the living room. Darcy's hockey buddies are twined around Cassidy; some waft around Megan. Emma obviously disappeared back into her room. Discreetly, Darcy leads me through the kitchen, past a bathroom, and through the dining room, when we see the grand staircase again.

Quickly, we tiptoe up the stairs and he pulls me into a room on one end of the hall. The room is dark, but I can faintly make out navy walls, and trophies assembled on a shelf, a long with some peeling paperback novels and textbooks.

His lips find mine in the dark, and before we can even get to the bed, I'm unbuttoning his shirt and he's tugging at my short skirt. My leggings fall down my slender legs. They and my shoes are kicked aside, and Darcy's tender fingers curl around the back of my neck, pulling me flush against him.

After I release all the buttons from their slits, it falls off his shoulders, and my fingers touch the rock-hard muscles of his chest and abdomen.

Fingers tug my long hair aside and expose the hollow, translucent trunk of my neck. Warm lips radiate against it, nipping and tugging at the loose skin. His other hand slides down my side, trekking down my body to the rim of my skirt.

Pulling away, he looks at me, a hopeful look in his chocolate eyes. Breathlessly, I nod. He kneels, kissing up the side of my thighs. Just as his head ducks under my skirt, and I feel his teeth tugging my lace underwear aside, the door bangs open.

"Darcy!" Emma says, bounding in. She stops short, her familiar brown eyes widening as she drinks in the scene. His head ducks, looking shameful as he pulls his shirt around his torso hastily, about to say something. Grabbing my leggings and shoes, I shove past both of them, chin ducked to my chest as I peek through doors to find the bathroom.

Once I'm secure inside, I replace my lost clothing and shove my feet into my sneakers. I'm hoping for some sort of call from Darcy, but I don't hear one.

All I hear is Emma storm off to her room and Darcy's door swing shut.

_He's drunk_, I remind myself, _hopefully he doesn't remember this. _

Slipping out of the bathroom, I slip down to the kitchen, where my mother stands, alone, pouring another drink into her cup.

"I'm heading out," I tell her.

"Why?" she asks, surprised, "I thought you were having fun!"

_Yeah, __**some **__fun. _

"Not really," I tell her, kissing her cheek, "I'll see you at home."

And with that, I skip out of the house, shaking as I shake another cigarette out of my pack. Another cigarette, but no one to share it with.

_A/N: I own nothing, I hope you guys enjoy this!_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Emma**

I return to my room in shock.

As I hit the stairs, I hear the bathroom door open and see Jess duck out, restored and stoic. Unlike the old Jess. This whole act of showing up, and... _that._

_What even happened to her?_

My mind poked and prodded at this like a science experiment. Sliding out of the open window again, I drink in the summer night in Concord. An engine hums nearby, and I realize that someone's leaving the Wongs' house; it's Megan, in her parents' BMW. I don't even flinch.

Catching a flash of blond hair, I look down to see Jess lingering in the side yard, flicking a lighter and connecting it to the tip of a cigarette. _So not Jess. _

Watching her walk down the street, I see the embers shaking on the cigarette. If I listened so hard, I could probably hear her breathing.

All that is pinned in my mind is swinging open the door, about to ask my brother if he'd had a box of my books, when I enter to see Jess sitting on the edge of my brother's bed, a lustful expression on her face, as my brother's head bobbed under her skirt.

But it was when they turned to me, eyes flicking from me to the floor, all I could feel was betrayal. My old best friend and my _brother_ were hooking up, with complete oblivion to the people downstairs, and _me_ just a floor away.

It just irked me.

Glancing back in my bedroom window, I find the three glowing number on my alarm clock, reading nine-oh-five.

Calmly, I sneak off the roof and use the fire escape on the side of the roof to climb down and gather my bike before pedalling down the street and into town.

The streets are all the same, cracked pavement hot from the summer sun and even more cozy with it's stone buildings and boarding schools tightly knit. Passing Jess on the walk, I ignore her call out to me and keep pedalling.

A soccer match is going on at the football field, so I ride down their and find myself chaining my bike to the fence. Sitting in a pack of loners, I lean back and close my eyes. Since I'm not really into the game, I look around and catch a sight I didn't want to see.

Stewart Chadwick was sitting in the stands with a bunch of his friends, a perky blond girl on his lap. She had glasses, and her crimped hair hung loose. Stewart nuzzled her neck, engrossed in her.

The halftime bell rings, but I'm too tangled in my sorrow to notice. That's when I hear my name.

Turning, I see Ethan McDonald jogging off the field. He tugs off his goalie gloves and he leans against the bleachers in front of me, giving me a friendly smile.

"I didn't know you were coming back," Ethan's voice was soft against the loud crowd, but I could hear him perfectly, "You look great."

"Yeah," I state, sounding a little outdated, so I perk up, "You, too."

My voice sounds false, even to my own ears. He smiles gently at me, reaching up and brushing a curl out of my face. His hand is warm, and as his fingers brush my cheek, a warm sensation tingles on my skin. I feel a blush lighting up my face.

He smiles, and opens his mouth when the coach calls for him. His teammates catcall as he hops off the bleachers and waves over his shoulder as he jogs to meet them. Just before he gets to the team, he turns around, "See you around."

_What the heck?_

And in a loud, clear voice, I call out, "Definitely."

_A/N: I like this revised version better. What about you? Leave a review!_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: Cassidy**

When I get home, I immediately go to the kitchen to unwind. Most of the food at the party was either too fattening or distasteful, so I immediately scour the refrigerator, my loot a piece of cold pizza.

But just as I bring the slice to my lips, my mother comes in, stopping short when she takes in the scene; the fridge wide open behind me, the pizza parked just outside my mouth, my hopeful eyes.

"Cassidy," she sighs, "Do you _really _need that pizza?"

She always asks that question when I eat something that will make me fat again. There was a period of time after the mother-daughter book club disbanded that I completely binged; blew off hockey to stay home and eat. After gaining a few pounds, my mother made me return to hockey with Division 1, and school hockey, keeping me on a short leash when I got to the kitchen.

Not only is she Clementine Sloane, the once-supermodel, she was now the health-chef on her own television show, _Cooking with Clementine. _

Slowly, I reverse the pizza from my lips and go to put the untouched food back in the fridge before my mother says, "No. Dump it."

Almost as if I'd dump pizza from my diet. But long ago, I learned if I questioned, I got a lecture. So I crossed the room, dropped the pizza in the can and returned to my room, ignoring her open-mouthed expression, almost as if she were about to say something.

_Again, another day without food. _

All our house held was junk, so I usually went a few days without food. Just as I flop back on my bed, Courtney looks up from her textbook, raising an eyebrow at me.

"What's up?" she asks, slamming her book closed and shoving it in the space between her wall and mattress, turning to stare at me with full, undivided attention.

"I was caught with another piece of pizza." I admit, rolling over to look at her, suddenly drained.

Sighing, she slips her shoes back on her feet and grabs her wallet.

"What are you doing?" I ask, glancing at the clock. It's just past ten-forty-five.

"There's an all-night pizza shop down the street," she tells me, grabbing a hoodie and heading toward the door.

Just as she flings open the door, she turns and gives me a look, "Aren't you coming?"

I look around the room, almost waiting for my mother to storm in with a fit of rage, yelling at me for eating, "Mom will kill me."

"She'll kill you anyway if you don't eat." she tells me, crossing the room and grabbing my arm, yanking me with her.

We get downstairs and cross the threshold of the foyer when my mother pokes her head out of the kitchen door with a quizzical expression.

"We're going out," Courtney tells her, and pulls me out the door and down the driveway before our mother can say anything.

.

.

The pizza parlor is small and homey, packed tight with booths and a bar along the counter. Most are filled, but Courtney finds a booth looking out the window and we sit down, waiting for a waitress to approach.

When she does, she serves us water and we order a plain cheese pizza, which is whipped up rather quickly. We gorge until there's only one piece of pizza left, which we tuck in a go box and go up to pay.

It's when we're out in the parking lot that I see them.

Ashley Sanborn and Jen Webster are sitting on one of the cement slabs in an empty parking space. When they see me, I already hear them whispering. After we get in the car, Courtney turns to me, "Who are they?"

"Megan's friends," I tell her, and she gets a disgusted look on her face. "The Fab Four."

To my surprise, my sister revs her engine and jet out of their, sailing over a manhole, sending murky water in their direction. I hear their screams from my window.

"Now, they're everything but fabulous," Court tells me and with that, we go home, full and happy.

For now.

_A/N: I know I make Mrs. Sloane seem really bitchy in this chapter, but I'm thinking, what happens when the mother-daughter book club gets to high school, into the real world?_


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Ya know, I never wrote a Authors Note so.. Here it is. It's Emma's POV_

_Chapter 7: Megan's POV_

_I watched Zach and Emma, Cassidy and Zach, with pity. He put me throughout all the IT couple crap that he craves. He loves Cassidy, ever since fifth-sixth grade. When she first walked through the halls, he was leaning against the locker talking to Ethan and Third, throwing wads of paper at the nerds. But when he saw that uneven halo of fiery red locks, he was hooked. He loved her hair, her clouded gray eyes and the athletic build she was. Even when we were dating, when Cassidy would flirt with Ethan and Third, he'd be all heartbroken and depressed. I stare longingly at him, ignoring the Algebra I problems displaying in front of me. It's tutorial (study hall) and I am attempting to get all of this work done. This is last period (Thankfully) so I am trying to get this done for mom. The MDBC is rescheduled for after school, cause Jess is at Colonial Academy, Cassidy's at Hockey (she is excused every study hall to go to practice). Emma's at Newspaper and me, who hasn't taken up any extracurricular, am stuck in the stuffy study hall room with Ms. Nielson. I feel my cell vibe on me: BECCA: HEY U IN SH?_

_MEGAN: Nah, I skipped. ;)BECCA: REALLY?MEGAN: Naw. :D_

_BECCA: DON'T PLAY STUPID W/ME! I JUST SAW DH AND HE TOTZ WINKED ME. _

_MEGAN: SHUT UP! SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP! _

_I am screaming in my head. He shouldn't like her. Because I like him and we did official DIBS and dibs is like forever love unless the dibs-er doesn't like the target._

_MEGAN: WHOEVER CAN HAVE HIM KISS HER 1RST GETS THE DIBS._

_BECCA: LET THE BEST OF THE FAB FOUR WIN! & 2 MAKE THINGS MORE INTERESTING, THE WINNER, IS THE 4EVER LEADER OF THE FAB FOUR!_

_I gape at the screen on my iPhone. Fab Four leader. Girl who ruled ninth till tenth! OMG! We just kept re-voting Becca but wow! The bell sang and everyone got up to leave the small stuffy room while I sat there, my phone laying on my jegging-covered knee, overly grape-glossed lips parted, agape. Ms. Nielson tapped my desk with her leaky blue ink pen. Blue splats coated my desk but I stood, iPhone 4g cinched between my fingers. "Thanks, Mrs. Nielson." I said half nervous, half glad to get out of the dusted-overstuffed room. I sped to my locker, right next to Jennifer Webster, one of my best friend since fourth grade. She smirked at me, spray-paint can secured in her hand. _

"_That smirk- tells me you didn't use that for art class."_

"_I didn't.. I sprayed-""ACCH! ACHH!" Someone screeched down the hall. I look up to see Emma Hawthorne, her Parisian clothes and straight brown-blond hair. Her SIZE 4 clothes that hugged her body were covered with neon pink and green spray. "EMMA!" I call, closing my locker. People moved against the lockers as I passed (the Fab Four has that effect) and walked straight up to her._

"_Face it, Emma. You'll never be in. So go be fat again and lonely." Cassidy Sloane raced up, fists clenched along with anger steam bleeding from her ears. Emma looked up, ignoring the splatters and just glared daggers at me."MEGAN, you act like people worship the ground you walk on. BUT WAKE UP AND SMELL THE ROSES, 'cause they don't like you. THEY'RE AFRAID OF YOU!" She and Cassidy stride away. They look happy, light as clouds. The applaud stings my ears like the feedback of a microphone. I turn to face the clapping around me."NO YOU CAN'T LIKE HER. THE FAB FOUR RULES YOU! IGNORE THAT ENGLISH FREAK!-" I am going delusional, screaming orders at people and just plain.. Spazzing. A hand grabbed mine and pulled me away from the hall of freaks."MEGAN WONG! YOU JUST RUINED US!" Ashley Sanborn screamed. Becca's arms were folded over her C-Cups and Jen was shaking her head in pity._

"_DID I?" I screech, re-shouldering my bag and stomping away._

_A/N: Well, this wasn't my best, 'cause I have writers block but hey, it's done/ Onto Jess.. :D_


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Sorry for the gap between chapter 7 and 8. Will continue writing 

_Chapter 8: Jess_

"You did what?" I screech into my iPhone, voice over flooding with joy. Cassidy laughs and I can feel Emma smiling through the phone. Emma stood up to Megan! Wow! She grew her confidence. I hear the instant buzzing in my ear and realize someone's on the other line. I glance at the picture of Megan's face.

"One sec, guys. Someone's on the other line." I say weirdly. If they noticed, they said nothing of it.

"Bah-byes." Emma says, sounding uncertain.

"T.T.Y.L.," Cassidy adds. I click off and click CALL to Megan's cell phone. She answers on the first ring. "Jess!" Her voice sounds half relieved and half nervous. I noticed this automatically and question her of it. She meekly calls it off and gets to her point. As she explains her plan to me, I feel it seep into the small cubicles of my brain. The logical side is saying that if I go along with this, it'll be risking mine, Emma's and Cassidy's friendship. But the regular, friendly side of me was saying, if I want the MDBC back together, I should go along with it. I look at the latest pic of me, Cassidy and Emma on my screensaver and embrace the smiles on our face. "Okay, Megan. But one condition." I inquire. "Jess, you're my only friend right now. Anything!" Megan pleads. I can almost hear her joy flooding dramatically. I roll my eyes.

"You've got to be apart of the Mother-Daughter Book Club again. Cass and Em are ready to bury the hatchet." I can almost hear her cringe.

"I'm not promising anything," She stated and with that, hung up.

My gaze altered between my iPhone and notes Savannah and I've been writing to each other all morning. Cassidy's been texting me through periods one through four, asking what was wrong, and once her and Emma called and asked me about it. But I shrugged it off, sashaying up to Savannah, Adele and Frankie in a black miniskirt, jeans short-shorts under them, and a baggy All Time Low T-Shirt. Savannah gave me a once-over then squinted.

"What's wrong, Sav?" I asked in a somewhat-pleased tone as we walked to study hall, settling our laptops. I'd just booted up my computer when there was a _ding! _and a message popped up on my screen:

BOOKCLUBGIRL22 WANTS TO VIDEOCHAT

ACCEPT OR DENY?

I adjusted my new attire (same miniskirt and a new white tank top and white vest), then click ACCEPT when Megan and Becca pop up on the screen. They're both decked out in black pantsuits and white tanks underneath.

**(A/N: Sorry, I'm a sucker for tank tops and black! I AM NOT GOTH!)**

"Wow, Megs. Good job. Who's next?" Becca asks, grinning at me and Megan turns the computer to face

Ashley Sanborn and Jen Webster, who are hiding their _Vogue_ and _Cosmos _behind their textbooks.

Becca turns to her leader, "What about 'em?"

"They're gonna become Emma and Cassidy's 'friends' and make the "victims" want Jess back so they'll come crawling back to me-" Megan smiled evilly and turned to look at me and Becca who're staring grimly at her, "-I mean, US."

I change the subject by glancing Emma's way (she and Cassidy are at the table behind us, listening in to our conversation).

"Why did you want this anyway?" I turn, giving her a sharp look. She deflates a bit.

"I want Emma and Cassidy to know how _I _felt after we separated. I moped around, waiting for you all to come back and I even _CUT MYSELF _to pass the time." She stared grimly at me. I nodded sympathetically and sighed. She was still looking at me, "What?"

"We all felt the same way."

She glared at me, "No, we didn't-"

"Yeah we did. Stop thinking about _yourself _and think of how WE ALL FELT!" With that, I log off. Then, an I.M. popped up on my screen. I clicked OK and Adele's name pops up.

ADELE: JESS WATS WRONG W/ U? U R MAKING SAVANNAH SINCLAIR _CRY! _SHE LIKED THE OLD FARMGIRL YOU. NOT GOTHICFARMGRL OR "SHEEKFARMGRL". SHE LIKES SIMPLE FARMGIRL! I HAVE USED TOO MUCH ""FARMGIRL"" BUT THAT'S JUST ME.

Then, Frankie's I.M. popped up.

FRANCESCA: YEP. YOUR MAKING US ALL UPSET BY BECOMING MISS FASHION-QUEEN. ALRIGHT YOU GOTTA FIX THIS. IF YOU DON'T… CHOW FOREVA GRRRL!

ADELE: SIANARA! (I THINK)

I sigh and shut my laptop and had a really good cry right in the middle of the hall. They act like it's me! it's Megan, who wants revenge on Emma and Cassidy 'cause we all felt alone after Emma had to leave. It's no one's fault for crying out loud. That's it- I'm calling sick. Or skipping class, you would say. I'm just too tired to deal with drama. I slipped behind the bookshelves until I got to the back exit. Sucking in a heavy breath, I force the door and slip into the chilled winter air. When I got back to the dormitory, I passed Mrs. Crandall. She looked pitiful when she lightly grabbed my arm.

"Jess, what's wrong? Are you sick?" I give her a weak nod as the tears spill over. She sits me down in a chair in the family room when I hear her heating something up and a few words being said over Mrs. Crandall's cell phone.

"Whitney, I know…. Yes but Jessica is really sick…. No just a really bad cold, she'll be fine by Monday. Let the rest of the staff know. Alright Whit, bye."

She came in with a bowl of chicken-noodle soup. Handing the cup to me, she asked lightly, "Do you wanna talk about it?" I nod, "It's just Adele and Frankie are angry, saying I hurt Savannah, and-""How?" She interrupted lightly.

"A clothing change. I did it for my friends back in Alcott High on a _dare." _ Okay that's a lie, but really, could I tell my 'second mom' that I've been rebelling against my friends? Of course not. "Were you rebelling against Emma and Cassidy?" She asked. I turn to her incredulously.

"What?-_psh-no… yes!" _I stutter. Mrs. Crandall grins, "How'd you know?""Savannah ran through her about a half an hour ago. She told me everything." I nod ruefully.

My mouth fell open, "Everything?" She gave me a small nod, "Uh-huh." But I didn't even do anything! God-dang-it! I did NOTHING wrong. I began to explain to Kate Crandall the odds of helping a 'friend'. When she questioned 'friend' in quotations, I knew Savannah said something about how everything back at Alcott just 'changed' ever since Emma left. The book club moms would still chat, and me and Cass had texted a few times but God, please help me!

"I didn't mean to change for my friends," I stated evenly, then continued, "I did it for payback…." My words hung in the air like chloroform . I almost passed out when I said it. The silence hung awkwardly. I bite my lip and spare a glance at Mrs. Crandall out of the corner of my fierce electric blue eyes. She was staring hard at nothing, as if contemplating my words into Morse code.

"When you say 'payback' do you mean as in 'revenge'? 'Getting even'? or 'I just want us all to be together and I'm doing anything for it, even risking my friendships'?"

"I'll have to go with Option 3!" My face breaks into an unpredictable grin. "Thanks, Mrs. Crandall." _

I punch Savannah Sinclair's number into the box at the top of the message board. With that I type:

_Can we talk?_

_I don't know, can we? _was her reply. I'm pacing in the kitchen. Mrs. Crandall went to go calm Maggie so I am alone and pacing. A bowl of grapes is sitting on the counter for a snack for any passerby's and I dig my fingers into the multicolored spheres. Popping a purple one in, I bite down, the Concord juices are staining my mouth with taste.

I click NEW TXT and write: _yes. __J__ well you know how much the MDBC means 2 me rite? _It sounded completely stupid, but I hoped she realized my obsession with the club.

_**Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! **_

The phone dinged four times, signaling four next text messages. Grinning, I clicked the oldest. Coleman, one of the Crandall's new Shiba Inu pups trots in with her gold-white fur glistening. Black and white Callie trails in behind her. They circle at my feet as I stared at the oldest. Two are in the same board so I click them.

**Cassidy Ann Sloane: Hey Jess.. Whats wrong w/ U?**

**Emma Jane Hawthorne: Yeah what's wrong? We saw U conversing w/ M&B. Wats up? SPILL! **

**Jessica Marie Delaney: Alright look. If U accept my friendship I'll tell U the 411. **

**CAS: 411, Jess? Really? Accept. **

**EJH: Accept. Gimme an S-P-I-L-L!**

**JMD: Look. M&B want me to be on their side so u 2 "realize how she felt" when E left. So she wants u 2 2 no that she still cares and wants the MDBC back. But I don't want to have to deal anymore. I'm me. Not her guinea pig. ****J**** Love u sisters. **

**CAS: Sisters? Really? :D **

**EJH: SAME! :D **

I click the other message. One from Savannah, one from my Mom.

**Mom: Jess, after school Dad'll pick U & Dylan & Ryan up. Got a surprise.!:D**

**Savannah Olivia Sinclair: SOS! Lets just get over it. Can we hang out 2morrow Homeroom? **

**JMD: OF COURSE :D. 3 **

Mood? Happy.

I grin as I grab my Gucci bag I borrowed from Megan and toss it in a trash can as I near the music building. I smile at Mr. McNamara as I sit next to Savannah and he looks confused but smiles back. I smile the rest of the day. I feel like the world is on my side again.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Hi, sorry for the gap of time. My computer died on us so now I'm at my library. J hurray. So, Emma….

Chapter Nine: Emma

I glance at the clock over the classroom door, biting my nails as I scribble absentmindedly throughout my notebook, patiently waiting for the half day bell to ring. I know what you're thinking—why is she so excited? Well… I have an answer for that! Thanksgiving break is already here and I want to get out of this place before my birthday (June 12, just for your information :D). I glance up at Ethan MacDonald, who's sitting a few seats ahead of me, next row.

"Hey Porky the Poet!" I glanced next to me where Becca Chadwick is looking into her compact, doing her makeup overdramatically, black and charcoal eye shadow, making her look like a ghost off of Celebrity Ghost Stories, along with hot pink lip liner and luscious red lipstick, which is a terrible color with her long blond-black streaked hair. She could be a chain-saw killer when we get out of here, and no one would notice. Random thoughts for random people, I should be quiet about her now… The weather is like car-accident weather! With the crystal-like flakes are snowballing out there, along with the ice that could be a skating rink for crying out loud! Suddenly the bell crackles to life. Our silent reading period turned into animals gone wild, with everyone scampering to the door at once.

I take my time packing my bag. When the crowd by the door thins, I bolted. Just as I get to my locker, I hear: "HAWTHORNE!" and running feet. I turned, almost smack into Ethan MacDonald. I look up into his emerald green eyes and drift off a bit as he helps me up. I bite my nails as he begins talking.

"So, about our project.." He licked his lips nervously.

I rolled my eyes at his nervousness, "Anything works for me besides today and tomorrow. And Thanksgiving with family. But other than that, I'm good." I said all in one breath. He grinned and nodded. I bet you're confused now. Stewart Chadwick and I are taking a break, cause he said, and I quote:

"I met this girl in English and I am really confused. I'll get back to you sooner or later." I had rolled my eyes at that. I am Emma Hawthorne, not a girl to be waited for. So we broke it off for a while. And now, I have feelings for Ethan.

These thoughts flashed through my mind for a second or two, just as Ethan began typing his cell number into my new iPhone. I grabbed his and began punching in my number. He glanced up and smirked at my embarrassment. I bit my lip and then we swapped our phones back. I began to walk off when my phone buzzed. I pulled it out, almost smiling at the comment:

ETHAN: Testing 1,2. Just testing it out, Hawthorne.

I glanced back at his grinning face and roll my eyes.

EMMA: I think it works, MacDonald.

I walk off toward my locker with a small smile painted on my pale lips.

"I think I have feelings for Ethan." The words fell from my mouth like a waterfall as I toyed with my frozen dinner pack pizza as we situated ourselves on the floor. We're in my den, watching TV and eating dinner.

Jess's eyes go wide and Cassidy practically chokes on her pizza dish.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" Cassidy giggled. She was dating Zach, the once-player (he said that he was making Cass jealous and I believe him cause it's true.) but now he's awesome and normal again. When I hear giggling, I glance out the window. I see Megan and the rest of the Fab Four running across the lawn back toward the Wong residence. Jess remained silent with a small smile ghosting her lips. I gape. Megan set us up. Jess gossiped. Jess lied. Jess cheated. Okay then.

I swallowed.

"What're ya smiling 'bout Jess?" Cassidy mocks Jess's southern twang. Jess ignores Cass's comment and stares out the window. "Nothing?"

"YOU'RE IN CAHOOTS WITH THEM!" Cassidy yelps. Jess nods, and then grabs her bags. "You think I'm in cahoots with the enemy?" She turns to me. I shrug. "WELL!" she huffs and storms out of the mansion. I feel the tears falling, and just looking at Cassidy makes it worse.

NO P.O.V.

"Thanks Alaina!" Megan Wong whispered as she counted the three-thousand dollars in twenties. Alaina, Jess-Look-Alike number seventeen, flipped her blond hair over her shoulder, a smirk ghosting over her cherry red lipstick.

"Quit it, Megs and hand over the fee." Megan finished counting and handed it over.

"Worth every penny." She smiled a poisonously sweet smile. The REAL Jess stood beside her as Alaina Violin strutted away. Jess was out of Emma and Cassidy's grasp. Now Jess was a part of the Fab Five. Alaina looked closely like Jess, so they sent her in to seal the deal. The MDBC together no more!

"You lied, Megan!" stated Jess glumly.

"Jessica Nicole Delaney! It was worth it." Megan smirked, "Stop being such a saint, it melts the image." With that, her and her posse strutted away… to things that mattered.

A/N: You like? I did. The Emma-Ethan centric kind of changed up my thought on the story. More to come? Heck yeah!


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